Mobile devices have forced a radical shift in the way human beings deal with their day-to-day activities and how organizations service their customers. Earlier there was a clear distinction between internet, the intranet and internal corporate network. But today with miniature yet powerful mobile devices carrying data, sending e-mails, social networking, banking, gamming, downloading music and video, the situation is more like scrambled eggs. In a June 2012 report on Internet trends, Morgan Stanley predicted that by 2012 the number of smartphones shipped will exceed the total number of desktop and notebook PCs. Compact and relatively inexpensive, these devices can be used for many functions, including sending and receiving electronic mail, storing documents, delivering presentations and remotely accessing data.

Even before the advent of smartphones, malicious software and viruses were already a recognized threat to mobile devices. As of 2009, applications allowing users to view and manipulate financial accounts, auction listings, and shopping accounts linked to credit cards are becoming commonplace. Whether simple rogue text messages, fictitious billing scams or more malicious attacks using malware installed on the device, the number of attacks are increasing at an alarming rate-mobile malware increased by more than 45 percent in 2012. With less education about mobile threats and the lack of security on these devices, users seem more inclined to fall victim to them during mobile sessions.

Smartphone Security

With the continued increase in the uptake of Smartphones you should consider the security issues. Smartphones are like mini computers. They have the ability to hold data which is accessible via email, a cloud based web app or some sort of internal or external memory storage. Smartphones are valuable and you need to consider what would happen should your mobile device fall into the wrong hands. Here are five tips on how you can secure your Smartphone It is easy to set password protection on your phone. It is most likely under your phones security settings. If you cannot find the option check online or your phone's manual to see how to enable this. Most people password protect their computer but do not feel the need to for a mobile device however this is the first security step you should take.

After you have secured your mobile phone with a password or pass code you may still want to further protect the data stored on your phone with remote wipe. Remote wipe will wipe the data on your phone and restore all the factory settings. This is not something you would want to do unless you are certain you have lost your phone. In order to set up remote wipe if you have an iPhone you will need to sign up for a paid account with MobileMe. Then you must set up your phone to enable the wipe should you need it. Android phones running 2.2 have remote wipe built in, but you will also need Exchange. Because remote wipe using Exchange can only be done by an administrator of Exchange a better option would be to use the Mobile Defense app. It's a free app from the Android Marketplace which will allow you to perform the wipe from the Mobile Defense website.